While it might be hard for some to believe, Skyrim is over 10 years old now. Over the last decade, the game has remained remarkably relevant, with numerous people continuing to explore the breathtaking locations in the world of Tamriel. While many of these locales contain unusual and magical beasts, other animals, such as the domesticated cow, are not so strange.

Seen throughout many regions of Skyrim, cows are domesticated animals usually kept on farms. The large bovines provide natural resources for the native Nords inhabiting the land, as they are a good source of meat and milk. In addition, they can be killed by players to receive raw beef and cowhide. Recently, one gamer had a run-in with one of these domesticated animals.

In a post on Reddit, a user known as jackrabbitdragon shared a video of an unusual encounter in Skyrim. The video started with the player finishing an interaction with a farmer known as Aifa. After a brief moment, the player moved away from the NPC and continued across the farmland. However, they crossed paths with a cow in an open field only seconds later. Grazing freely on the vegetation, the large animal had no idea what was about to happen.

After walking up to the mooing cow, jackrabbitdragon decided to punch it. In a strange turn of events, the living animal suddenly stopped moving and let out an awful moan. Startled by what had happened, the player backed away and gazed at the cow. Shockingly, it had been turned into a stone statue. The player continued to walk around the animal for a few more seconds, trying to understand how they had turned the creature into stone.

This weird encounter caught the attention of many members of the Skyrim community on Reddit. With over 12,000 upvotes in only a couple of days, many liked the shocked reaction from the player. “I love that we can see the WHAT moment in the way your camera moves,” one person commented. According to jackrabbitdragon, they tried to replicate the weird event again with another cow, but they were unsuccessful. Unsurprisingly, many people in the comments began making puns about the cow turning to stone. “Looks like you took that cow for granite,” one gamer quipped. Not to be outdone, another fan responded by saying, “Rock solid pun man.”

It’s exciting to see fans continue to make intriguing discoveries in Skyrim. Besides this cow being turned to stone, another player recently teamed up with a giant to take down an enemy. As players continue to explore the open world, it will be interesting to see what other encounters are captured on video in the coming months.

The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim – Anniversary Edition is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.